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HENRY A. ALDEN, OE MATTEAWAN, NEW YORK, AssIeNOE TO THE NEWv i YORK RUBBER COMPANY,V OF NEW YORK Grrr.

Letters Patent lV'o. 79,719, dated July 7, 1868.

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TO WIIOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. AEDE-N, of Matteawan, in the county of Dutchess, and State ot' ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vuleanizcd India-Rubber Balls; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same. i

In Letters Patent, No. 72,355,heretoforev granted me, I have described and fclaimed a base-ball or other like ball made of a compound of rubber, sulphur, cork, and lead, or suitable equivalents of the latter two com- Ybined inthe proportions therein specified.

` My present invention is an improvement upon that invention,r and consists in forming the core of the ball of cork, cemented together, and preferably having'l'wound around it wire or cord, and then surrounding the core thus formed with a suitable thickness ot' the compoundabovc referred to, the ball being covered with leather or other suitable covering, or with a coating of rubbi` formed in the vulcanizing-mould, so as to have produced upon itY a representation or imitation4 of the stitches of the ordinary leather covering.

The ball then produced has all the advantages, over ordinary base-balls, which are specified in the Letters Patent above referredl to, and it possesses the additional and'very important advantage of great durability, for its construction is such as to enable it to withstand hard usage, and to preserve its shape and original properties, notwithstanding the treatment to which such balls are continually subjected.

'As above indicated, the centre or core of the ball is made of cork. I prefer to form this cork centre of eork, ground or divided up into tolerably small pieces, say of sizes from that of a. kernel of' corn to that of a chestnut, or larger, which arc cemented or united together, by means 0i` rubber cement, in the form of a ball,

'about two inches in diameter. Thecork` centre may, however, be made of pure cork, if desired, although I con- Yusual manner.

Sider the foregoing method preferable.

,To this cork centre, tho compound of which the main part of the ball is composed may now be applied; but I prefer, in order to impart to the/ball the necessary solidity and strength, to'iirst'wind wire or cord tightly around the core, and, after the centre is thus bound with the wire, it is surrounded or enveloped by the compound described in the Letters Patent above named until it is brought to the standard or required size. The ball is then vulcanized, and may afterwards -be covered with the ordinary leather covering, stitched in the` Instead, however, of applying-a separate covering,.I prefer to coverthe ball with an outer coating of rubber colored to resemble the ordinary leatherV covering, and in the vulcanizing-lnould. I form an imitation of tho stitches by which the leather is held together, so that when the ball is vulcanized, this coating will be vulcanized' with the rest of the ball, and when the ball is taken out, the stitching will appear raised upon the the object oi` this being not only to present a perfect imitation of the ordinary ball, but also to prevent the slipping of the ball when in use. Y

It will be of course understood thatthc baillcan be made of any size to adapt it for the special use for which it is intended, whether as a baseball, cricket-ball, dsc. Instead of, employing cork, any other light material suitable for the purpose can be employcd.

In order to more fully illustrateniy'invention, I have added thc annexed sheet of drawings, in which- Figure l represents a central section, and;` i

Figure 2 an exterior view of my improifcd ball.

A represents the cork centre, composed oi`one piece of cork, or, as shown ini the drawing, of several pieces, cemented together. This centre should preferably bb wrapped with twinc or wire, and is then surrounded by the compound described in theiLettors Patent above named, and marked B in the drawing. Upon the exterior is a coating of rubber, marked C, which is` vulcanized with the rest of the ball, and has formed upon it the imitation stitching,nr D. As above stated, an ordinary leather covering may be substitutedfor this i coating.

2 Hoving now described my invention,` and' themnnnerin which the Seine is'or Inay'be carried into. effect what I claim, and desire to seeure'by Letters Potent, is

l. A base-bell or other like ball having a centre 0r core consisting of one piece, or of several pieces of cork, cemented together, said core being surronnde` with the compound substantially such as .is described in Letters Patent of the United States', No. 72,355,

seid' ball being either provided or not with n cover of suitable material.

2. In a base-bell formed of a. vulcanized compound such. :ts herein speciei, the use of a. wire-bound or twine or cord-wrapped cork core, substantially es and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, with o cork and rubber compound base-bell, of n rubber coveringr or coating, united and {ruleanzed with the body of the bell, snbstztntially es herein set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification befor e two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY A. ALDEN.

Witnesses:

It. A. PIPER,

M. HILLYER.

and the Whole being nnitecl and vulcanized es set forth, theI 

